1. Field of Invention
The current invention relates generally to apparatus, systems and methods related to fiber optic cables. More particularly, the apparatus, systems and methods relate to cooling fiber optic cables. Specifically, the apparatus, systems and methods provide for a low stress connector used in a cooling system to cool fiber optic cables.
2. Description of Related Art
Typical fiber optic connectors use an epoxy or mechanical clamp to secure an optical fiber within a connector. The possible disadvantages of this approach may involve a permanent bonding, or the bonding may impart physical stress to the fiber. Stress on the optical fiber changes the optical wave-guide characteristics of the fiber, leading to undesirable out-coupling of radiation from the fiber to the polymer coating on the final cladding of the fiber. Excess out-coupling of radiation in high power fiber lasers leads to a thermal failure of the polymer coating, cascading to total fiber laser failure, often times catastrophic. Long term, low magnitude stresses on the fiber can decrease the total lifetime of the laser through slow degradation of the polymer coating.
Typical fiber laser fabrication is conducted in discrete, sequential steps. This build process allows for mistakes in the manufacturing to be corrected immediately. A highly integrated fiber laser requires the parallel success of each fabrication step. The seating of the fiber laser into the Connector/Cable assembly is the last step in laser fabrication. A manufacturing mistake jeopardizes the entire laser. What is needed is a better fiber optic cable connector.